1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of computer networking. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for secure instant messaging.
2. Description of Related Art
Peer-to-peer (“P2P”) computing refers to a distributed network architecture comprised of computing nodes which make a portion of their resources directly available to other network participants. Peers in a P2P network establish direct communication channels with one another and act as both clients and servers, in contrast to the traditional client-server model in which servers supply resources and clients consume resources.
Many current P2P applications such as instant messaging and video chat do not provide adequate security measures to protect the underlying content transmitted between peers. Accordingly, improved techniques are needed for identifying peers and providing secure P2P transactions over a network.